Translation guide
Describes an act of violence where a shooter fires at people indiscriminately, without a specific target. Japanese expressions vary based on context, from news reporting to casual conversation.
To refer to a random shooting as a news event or criminal case, emphasizing the indiscriminate nature.
Standard term used in news reports for a random shooting incident. Literally 'indiscriminate shooting incident'.
昨夜、市内で無差別発砲事件が発生した。
A random shooting incident occurred in the city last night.
Similar to 無差別発砲事件, but uses 銃撃 (gunfire/ shooting attack) instead of 発砲 (firing a gun). Slightly more vivid.
無差別銃撃事件の容疑者が逮捕された。
The suspect in the random shooting incident has been arrested.
Uses 通り魔 (random attacker/phantom killer) to emphasize the random, senseless nature. More literary or dramatic.
この事件は通り魔的発砲の様相を呈している。
This incident has the appearance of a random shooting spree.
To describe the action of shooting without aiming at a specific person, often in a narrative or explanation.
Verb phrase meaning 'to shoot indiscriminately'. 無差別に means 'indiscriminately', 発砲する is 'to fire a gun'.
犯人は群衆に向かって無差別に発砲した。
The perpetrator fired indiscriminately into the crowd.
More colloquial; 手当たり次第 means 'at random/haphazardly', 撃つ is 'to shoot'. Conveys a sense of reckless shooting.
彼は通りで手当たり次第に撃ち始めた。
He started shooting randomly on the street.
Literally 'to shoot wildly/randomly'. Often used in compound nouns like 乱射事件 (random shooting incident).
男は店内で銃を乱射した。
The man fired a gun wildly inside the store.
To refer to a shooting spree where multiple people are targeted randomly, often in public places.
Combines 無差別 (indiscriminate) and 銃乱射 (gun rampage). Common in news for mass shootings.
アメリカでは無差別銃乱射事件が社会問題になっている。
Random mass shootings have become a social issue in the United States.
Loanword from English 'spree shooting'. Used in criminology or media, but not as common as Japanese terms.
スプリー・シューティングの定義は専門家の間でも議論がある。
The definition of spree shooting is debated even among experts.
Directly translating 'random shooting' as ランダムな射撃 would sound unnatural and is not used for criminal acts. Use the established terms above.
発砲 (happō) is the general act of firing a gun. 銃撃 (jūgeki) emphasizes shooting as an attack. 乱射 (ransha) implies wild, random firing. For 'random shooting', 無差別発砲 or 無差別銃撃 are standard; 乱射 alone can imply randomness but is often combined with 無差別 for clarity.